Gun violence experts say it's not necessarily surprising and the reason why is likely because of our neighbours to the south.
"The guns overwhelmingly are coming from the United States," said Jooyoung Lee, a professor of sociology at the University of Toronto.
"The U.S. is the global exporter of crime guns. It has crime guns flowing into Canada, into Mexico, abroad into Asia, Europe, you name it."
He said that's because of "porous gun laws there," making it easier for anyone to get their hands on firearms, and while Canada has no control over that, it could do more to secure its borders.
In a statement to CBC, the Canada Border Services Agency said it's intercepted 887 firearms as of Oct. 15 this year and that it works with police partners to stem the flow of guns into Canada.
"Smugglers are increasingly utilizing more sophisticated concealment methods in smuggling attempts," it said.
CBSA officials said that's why there are dedicated teams and resources to detect prohibited materials like firearms. That includes handheld devices, X-ray machines, and detector dogs.
Earlier this year, the agency also appointed an executive director for combatting firearms smuggling, who is supposed to help lead efforts against illegal firearms smuggling.
Bereziuk confirmed the majority of illegal firearms seized by Hamilton police are traced back to the States.
"That's something that the local police department has no control over and that's not something that we can enforce," he said.
It's precisely why
the Canadian federal government's 2022 "freeze" on the sale, purchase and transfers of handguns has done little to combat the spike in crime here, said Lee.
